Day of the Robot
104 ) and Fred Sloan (John Saxon) after a little game of tennis.]] Debrief Steve Austin is assigned the task of escorting his friend Major Frederick Sloan to the important final test of a secret new anti-missile missile defense system. Major Sloan has developed a microwave circuit card which is the activator for the ignition unit on the defense system. However, both they and the OSI are unaware that a criminal gang has made plans to steal the activator by abducting Major Sloan and replace him with an identical robot, developed and built by Dr. Jeffrey Dolenz. During the drive to the test site Major Sloan is kidnapped at a gas station and the robot takes his place without Steve noticing. The robot is remotely controlled from Dr. Dolenz's laboratory and images and sounds of everything it sees and hears are relayed back. Although Steve slowly becomes suspicious of the robot’s erratic behaviour, before he can take any action the criminals force his car off the road. The robot then knocks Steve out and steals the activator from him. At the missile test site the robot places the activator in the ignition unit and the test initially goes as planned. However, the robot then suddenly steals both the activator and ignition unit and forces an escape. Correctly guessing that the robot will have headed to the test facility Steve intercepts it and, following a violent struggle, destroys the robot. Back in Washington DC Oscar Goldman informs Steve that most of the criminal gang have been captured but that Dr. Dolenz is still at large. Of Major Sloan there is no sign and he is presumed dead. Later when Steve is out walking by the tennis courts where they played together Steve finds Major Sloan who is suffering from amnesia but is otherwise well. * For a fuller summary of this episode see the character description page on Dr. Dolenz. Credits Season 1, Episode 4 * Production Number: 40012 * Airdate: February 8, 1974 * Produced By: Sam Strangis and Donald R. Boyle * Story by: Harold Livingston * Teleplay by: Del Reisman * Director: Leslie H. Martinson Guest Stars * John Saxon – Major Frederick Sloan/Robot * Henry Jones – Dr. Jeffrey Dolenz Special Guest Star * Lloyd Bochner - Gavern Wilson Co-starring * Charles W. Bateman - Master Sgt Parnell * Noah Keen – General Tarhill With * Robert Rothwell – Al * Martin Speer - Neil * Buster Jones - Captain * Louie Elias – Roy * Michael Alaimo - Truck driver Quotes Steve Austin: Let's let that car pass. Robot: What car? Steve Austin: There's been one behind us ever since we left the station. Robot: You weren't so nervous in the old days Steve. It's just a coincidence. Trivia *The "bionic" sound effect is heard for the first time in this episode, but is used for the Sloan robot instead of Steve Austin. *The sound effects used when the robot becomes "angry" and battles Austin, come from the 1971 Universal Studios film How to Frame a Figg. Nitpicks * When Gavern Wilson shows the robot a photograph of Steve Austin the close up shot of Steve is a totally different picture of the one he is seen holding immediately beforehand. * During the final battle between Austin and the Sloan robot: the back of the robot's jacket is torn and visibly loose, in the same area where the robot's back will explode when Austin later impales him with the I-beam steel girder. * When Austin kicks the car over on to the henchman about to shoot him, heavy duty chains can easily be detected by their shadows on the car as it rolls. Scenes Deleted In Syndication *When Austin and the Sloan robot enter the motel, Austin can hear the robot squeak as it walks. This adds to his suspicion that there is something unusual going on. This deleted scene is referenced in the later episodes Run, Steve, Run and Return of the Robot Maker. *After Austin fights with the Sloan robot under the helicopter, the original chase between Austin and the robot is much longer. Much of the sequence is cut down in the syndication edit.